The present description relates in general, to a tree grown fruit and nut harvesting apparatus.
Fruit and nut orchards typically have a plurality of parallel rows of trees, where each row is formed of numerous trees, generally equally spaced apart along each row. This arrangement allows easy fertilizing, clean-up of the trees as well as harvesting of the fruit and nuts.
In the past, growers have employed chemicals to induce the fruit and nuts to fall from a tree at generally the same time from a tree when a tree is shaken by a mechanical shaker. The fruit and nuts are then collected from the ground.
Organic farming does not allow the use of chemicals which are commonly used in orchards to induce fruit and nuts to fall at the same time from a tree. In organic farming, the fruit or nuts are allowed to ripen naturally over a three to five week period. The fruit or nuts naturally fall from the trees when fully ripened without mechanical or manual shaking of the tree.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a fruit and nut harvesting apparatus which provides a convenient means of collecting the naturally ripened fruit and nuts from trees which have fallen of their own accord from the trees.